Elastic fabric



July 26, 1938. i R, HESSE 2,124,574

ELASTIQFABRIC v Filed July 14, 1937 INVENToR Patented July v26,A 1938 ELASTIC FABRIC Richard Hesse, Melrose, Mass., assigner to Everlastik, Incorporated, Chelsea, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts `Application July 14, 1937, serial No. 153,571

2 Claims.

The invention relates to an improvement in elasticfabrics.

The object of the invention is to provide a very open Weave elastic fabric which makes it adaptable for various uses including shoe gorings, hosiery top webs, ladies underwear and sanitary belt webs, corset materials, mens underwear webs, and garter, suspender and belt webs.

As will later be explained, the open weave effect is primarily obtained through the employment of a leno construction. Attempts have been made to employ a leno construction for analogous purpose for obtaining the open effect in the weave, but unsuccessfully, owing to the fact that the elastic warp strands were laterally displaceable or would slide sidewise leaving large and unsightly openings. 'I'he essential object of the invention is to obviate this difficulty.

'I'he invention can best be seen and understood by reference to the drawing in which Fig. 1 is a plan of an elastic fabric embodying the invention, and,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of, one of the weft threads.

Referring to the drawing I, 2, etc. represent sets of elastic warp strands representative of those whichV form the body of the woven fabric.- These strands are wound or covered elastic strands like those commonly employed in an elasticv woven fabric. 0f these strands the-strands I in each set are plain standard warps, while .strands 2l are leno warps, inasmuch as they cross alternately back and forth over I in the weaving of the fabric, thecrossings of 2 over Il being at points 3 and I, 3 representing the point crossing from left to right, and 4 the return crossing from right to left. Between these points of crossing the strands I and 2 of each set of warps are bound by sets of picks of weft, or filling, to lie spaced, paralleling one another and imparting to the warps I 'by reason of their elasticity, afform much like the leno warps 2, although the warps I are, in point of fact, plain warps.

In addition to the sets ofwarps I and 2 the fabric is also preferably provided with supplemental edging, or border vwarps 5, these warps being plain standard warps engaged by the sets of picks of weft, or filling, to lie in spaced position paralleling one another.

The sets of picks of weft, or filling,v which cross the warp strands I and 2 between the points 3 and I of their crossing, and which also cross the edging warps 5, are in one or any plural number of picks but preferably three in number. 6, 1 and l, re-

spectively. These picks of weft, or filling, are inelastic wefts of a specially spun type which impart to the thread a knotted and curled appearance and this by providing the body or core of the thread with knotty sinuous surface excrescences relatively large as compared with the body, and very rough. In other words, surface'smoothness is avoided and a superficial thickness of thread obtained. The more common type of this kind of thread is known in the trade as boucle.

In following the passage of the picks of Weft across the fabric the picks of weft 6 and 8 pass under the warps I and over the leno warps 2, while the picks of weft 'I pass over the warps I and under the leno` warps 2. Thus woven all the picks of weft pass between the warps I and 2 in the part thereof which lie between the points 3 and 4 of their crossing, thus spreading the warps and increasing the size .of the openings 9 left between the sets of warps I and `2 at the points 3 and 4 of their crossing by which-the fabric is made an open fabric.

The picks of weft are also woven progressively through the border warps 5, some of the picks of weft passing around the outermost ones of these warps.

An elastic fabric thus formed possesses peculiarly desirable properties in accordance with the objects of the invention. In a fabric of thiskind thereis no difficulty with slippage of the picks of weft along the warps in a longitudinal direction. 'I'he crossing of the leno Warp over the warp I prevents this.v In the present fabric there is, also, no sliding of the warps along the filling, or weft, threads in a sidewise direction owing to the character of the weft threads. This vovercomes a difficulty heretofore inherent in a structure of this kind, which was aggravated if relatively large weft threads were employed and they were necessarily employed in order to separate as widely as possibleA the warp strands in the leno constructionfor obtaining the desired openings in the fabric. The difficulty with large threads in aggravating lateral slippage is ,that

friction contact therewith. At the same time the weft threads, provided as they are with knotty sinuous surface excrescences, increase the frictional resistance between these threads and the warp strands, and give a superiicial thickness to the weft threads, thus enabling them to separate the warp strands suiiiciently to get the desired eect of'relatively large openings.

The woven structure is also such, owing especially to the character'of its weft threads, or filling, that finishing of the fabric has little or no effect on closing the openings in the fabric, a difiiculty heretofore encountered.

- I claim:

1. A woven elastic fabric comprising elastic warp strands with sets of said warp strands combining to form leno constructions, and picks of weft crossing said warp strands and interwoven therewith, said picks of weft consisting of threads the bodies of which are small relative to the size of the warp strands whereby they mayv envtwine around the warp strands and have relatively long friction bearing against the same at the points of interweaving, and which bodies of the weft threads are provided with knotty sinuous surface excrescences whereby the frictional resistance between the wefts and warp strands relatively large openings in the fabric.

will be increased, and whereby, also, the said excrescences will impart a superclal thickness to the weit threads and enable them to better separate the warp strands for obtaining relatively large openings in the fabric.

2. A woven elastic fabric comprising elastic warp strands combined in sets, each set including a leno forming war'p strand crossed alternately back and forth over a companion warp strand, and picks of weft crossing said warp strands -and interwoven therewith' betweenvthe points of cross-l ing of the warp strands, said picks of weft oonsistingiof threads'the bodies of Vr"which are small relative Vto thesize of the warp. strands whereby they may entwine around the'warp strands and have relativelyA long friction'bearing against the same at the points of interweaving, and which bodies of the weft threads are provided with 'knotty sinuous surface excrescences whereby ,the

friotio'nal resistance between the weftsand warp strands will be increased, and whereby, also, the said excrescences will part a superficial thickness to the weft vthr, ads and enable them to better separate the w strands for obtaining RICHARD 

